McGill Tribune

The tuition beast has once again reared its ugly head, in both our Minerva statements and campus politics, as the Ministry of Education recently rescinded a $2 million fine it had slapped on McGill for a tuition hike. McGill’s MBA program tuiton was  increased to $32,000 for all students, as it turned to a self-funded model this year (see: “News in Brief,” Page 2). This tuition hike transgressed provincial regulations regarding tuition freezes, and as such, was publicly and symbolically punished with the $2 million fine. Prior to the increase in MBA tuition, the program—which cost nearly $22,000 per student to run—was subsidized by undergraduate tuition to the tune of $10,000 per MBA student. Approximately $12,000 in financial aid per student is now available from McGill to level the playing field for potential MBA students.

McGill has argued that the MBA program is now specialized, and maintains an international focus which exempts it from the tuition freeze laws. While enrolment in the program has decreased, its Financial Times ranking has increased, and members of the MBA Students Association have voiced strong support for the change.

All this has occurred at a pivotal moment in Quebec tuition policy, in which tuition freezes have crumbled and undergraduate tuition is set to increase substantially over the next few years. This has stirred fears that the self-funded MBA model will lead to tuition increases in other programs and may be the end of accessible education.  

MBA applicants typically have years of work experience behind them and can expect to make, on average, salaries  over $100,000 upon graduation. This makes it easier for them to repay student debts than undergraduates, whose job security upon graduation is far less certain.

While many believe that an undergraduate education is a right, the same argument cannot be applied to the MBA program, particularly when the tuition increase still leaves the program as one of the cheapest in Canada.  The Tribune recognizes that this tuition hike places an inordinate burden on prospective MBA students residing in Quebec. However, the average prospective undergraduate is in greater need of lower tuition than the average prospective MBA student. The McGill Tribune believes that McGill should prioritize the financial needs of undergraduates over students in professional programs, and that this change will lead to better programs across the board.

The Tribune applauds the Ministry of Education’s decision to rescind the $2 million fine and for facing the fiscal realities of an elite program at an elite university.